Bonding
by GiLaw
Summary: A theory of when the monkeys were still with the Alchemist and how he bonded with Nova. Four of the monkeys, Sparx, Antauri, Gibson and Mandarin are just playful baby monkeys, especially Sparx who seems much more boisterous than the others. Suddenly the Alchemist brings back an orphaned yellow monkey and knows that she needs to be looked after if she is to survive. Spova fluff.


**Hey guys! GiLaw here!**

 **So yeah, now it's time for another theory fic!**

 **As you probably all already know already, I have a theory that Nova wasn't the big tough fearsome warrior she claims to be . . . or at least she didn't start out that way.**

 **In this theory fic, I'm gonna try and explain how the Alchemist brings the monkeys into his lab. It might seem a bit rustic but I'm gonna try anyway.**

 **Just a few pointers before we get started:**

 **In this fic, the monkeys are really young, I mean less than a year old, they're that small. Nova is gonna be only a few weeks old in this, you could almost say she's like a newborn.**

 **This is gonna show the start of Sparx and Nova's relationship and also (hopefully) explain why Nova had such a tight bond with the Alchemist.**

 **Also, Otto's not gonna be in this because I think he's younger than Nova so in this fic, he hasn't been born yet :P**

 **Enjoy! ;D**

 **Bonding**

Captain Shuggazoom smirked as he continued to watch the four colored little monkeys bicker and interact with each other. They may have been a few months old but they were all frisky and playful and full of life.

He watched on as Gibson sniffed at the buttons at the computer in front of them, obviously curious. He reached out with a furry blue paw and pressed a few buttons on the keyboard. The computer screen flashed and the blue monkey's widened at he stared at it with fascination.

He was interrupted when his red brother leapt onto the desk and started pounding at the keys in excitement, causing the screen to flicker and then switch off. Gibson jerked and screeched at Sparx who just chittered and bounced around goofily. Gibson growled at this and pounced at his brother, knocking the two of them off the table, the two baby monkeys beginning to screech furiously and tackle each other. Farther across the room, the orange monkey, Mandarin noticed the battle going on between them and scampered over to join in.

Captain Shuggazoom's smirk dropped as he rushed over to break up the fight between the three brothers.

"Hey, knock it off, will ya?"

All three monkeys screeched furiously, thrusting their little paws at each other but Captain Shuggazoom took hold of Sparx and Gibson in each hand and pulled them away from each other while gently pushing Mandarin away with his foot.

"Come on, you're brothers! You should love each other!"

As he put Sparx and Gibson down, they seemed to respond to the Captain's words and scamper off immediately, screeching as if to say "NOOOOO!"

Captain Shuggazoom couldn't help but laugh at this. These little monkeys were a funny bunch.

He glanced over at the black monkey, Antauri who was watching quietly from a distance, sniffing the air with apprehension. As soon as the coast seemed clear, he padded up to Captain Shuggazoom and jumped up onto his shoulder. Again, Captain Shuggazoom laughed pleasantly.

"You just seem to be the only quiet one around here, don't ya?"

Antauri chittered at this as Captain Shuggazoom smiled and tickled his furry little chin before he jumped off his shoulder and sat down down on the ground in a very peaceful manner. The air was filled with another baby monkey screech, this time one of excitement and enthusiasm as Sparx ran over to Antauri and tried to get his attention, poking at his black fur. Antauri just sat there and seemed to remain neutral though Captain Shuggazoom could tell that he was getting slightly irritated.

"Come on, Sparx." He picked the red monkey up in his hands and lifted him away from the black one. "Let's leave Antauri be."

He put Sparx down on the other side but Sparx went to run over to Antauri again, wanting to play. Captain Shuggazoom sighed and picked him up again, lifting him away again.

Sometimes looking after these monkeys when the Alchemist was out looking for tools and potions was a handful.

As Captain Shuggazoom put Sparx down, he heard the door open and looked up to see the Alchemist stepping through. He was carrying something very carefully in his arms, what seemed to be a tiny bundle in a white blanket. Whatever it was, it didn't look like any material needed for making weapons of any sort.

Captain Shuggazoom lowered his eyebrows and ran up to the Alchemist to get a closer look. As he got closer, he saw that what he was carrying was a tiny baby monkey, a yellow one, very small, not much bigger the Alchemist's long hand and weighing barely a few pounds. At first he cocked his head. He knew that the Alchemist planned to adopt monkeys and turn them into protectors of Shuggazoom, but this one looked far too young, too weak and fragile.

The Alchemist seemed to understand Captain Shuggazoom's confusion as he immediately spoke.

"I found her abandoned in the jungle."

Again, the captain lowered his eyebrows more, completely dumbstruck at this stage. "It's a her?"

The Alchemist nodded sternly as they both gazed down at the tiny bundle of yellow fur in his arms. She was glancing around her, blinking her shimmery black eyes, shivering in fear, making uncertain little monkey squeaks while clinging onto the white blanket she was wrapped up in.

"Wonder what happened to her mother?" Captain Shuggazoom muttered, obviously concerned.

The Alchemist sighed at this. "I'm afraid I don't know. Either she was killed or left the baby for dead. Either way, this monkey here needs to be looked after if she's going to survive."

He headed over to his lab and fetched a bottle of milk, feed that had often been used for the other males before they had grown older. He sat down on a chair and held the bottle at the yellow monkey who sniffed the bottle at first but then opened her mouth a little, allowing the Alchemist to feed her. She began to drink from the bottle very quickly, the milk chugging down, some of it dribbling down her face.

Captain Shuggazoom's eyes widened at this. "Wow . . . sh- she's really hungry."

The Alchemist simply tightened his lips and took some of the white blanket, wiping the milk away from her face. She had finished off the bottle already and was still sucking at the nozzle, wanting to get every last drop. She looked a lot more comfortable now, getting used to her new surroundings.

"Do you want me to get the other monkeys so you can introduce her to them . . .?" Captain Shuggazoom looked like he wanted to make every attempt to make himself useful.

The Alchemist nodded. "That would be perfect."

"Kay."

As Captain Shuggazoom headed off to retrieve the other four monkeys, the Alchemist looked down the yellow bundle. Her yellow fur seemed to have brightened a little, turning from pale yellow to a much more golden color. Making some sort of monkey cooing noises, she stretched out with her little yellow paws for the bottle in the Alchemist's hand. He chuckled a little, putting the bottle down and stroking her little cheek with his long finger. She chittered happily in response, taking the finger in both paws and nibbling at it with her toothless mouth.

A small smile spread across the Alchemist's face. "Well aren't you a dear little one?"

She chittered again, looking up at him with sweet shiny black eyes, letting go of his finger with one hand and stretching up for his beard. She could barely reach it, her arm was only a couple of inches long.

The Alchemist chuckled again, gently taking hold of her paw and lowering it down. "No . . ."

Her face seemed to drop a little as he lowered her paw and she reached up for his beard again, making uncertain little noises. Again, the Alchemist couldn't help but chuckle at her innocence. She seemed so sweet and yet there was something about her that seemed to energetic . . .

An idea suddenly clicked to him. A small grin spread across his face as he took her paw and lowered it again.

"Nova . . . I think that's what I'll call you." His grin grew wider as she cocked her head, seeming to respond to this. "Dear Nova . . ."

He was suddenly interrupted when four other little monkeys jumped up onto the chair, all of them sniffing the bundle in his arm. Again, his grin grew wider.

"Say hello to your new teammate, everyone. This is Nova . . ."

"Whoa," Captain Shuggazoom muttered, eyebrows raised in surprise again. "Do you really plan to make her part of your team? I mean, she's pretty much an orphan, the rest all came from a family, you know?"

"I understand that," the Alchemist responded. "But I can see an energy within her. I trust that with proper care, she will be just as strong as the other males . . . maybe even stronger."

Captain Shuggazoom nodded at this. "Okay, if you think so." In a way, he didn't sound convinced.

The Alchemist didn't look too bothered as he turned to the four other monkeys, most examining the yellow figure very closely. She let out a squeak, huddling into the Alchemist's chest, flicking nervous glances at the four males that seemed to be towering over her and invading her space.

Antauri seemed to sense her uneasiness and leapt off the chair, walking away. Gibson took note off his actions and followed him closely, both of them heading past Captain Shuggazoom and off to do their own thing.

"I don't think they're interested."

"They'll learn to get used to her," the Alchemist replied. "And she'll get used to them. This is new territory for all of us."

He looked down at Mandarin who was still sniffing the yellow bundle of fur. She flicked a glance at him but whipped her head away again, making little monkey whimpers. Mandarin withdrew his head in surprise when suddenly he stopped sniffing and bared his teeth, beginning to growl viciously.

"Mandarin!"

Captain Shuggazoom quickly rushed over to the orange monkey that was now screeching furiously at the yellow figure that screeched back in fear. Just as Mandarin seemed to raise his fists towards her, the captain quickly grabbed the snarling monkey and hauled him away. Much to his surprise, the Alchemist remained calm at this.

"Didn't you see that?!" Captain Shuggazoom exclaimed at he dropped Mandarin away from them. Mandarin just continued to screech furiously and scampered away in rage.

"I'll deal with it later," he replied calmly, stroking the yellow monkey that seemed to be crying at what had just happened, clinging onto his dark ropes, huddling underneath the white blanket she was wrapped up in.

The only monkey still on the chair with the Alchemist was the red one that was slowly crawling towards the trembling yellow figure. The Alchemist had noticed this and was watching his curious behavior in approval, gently lifting away the white blanket to show more of her face. Sparx backed away for a second but then leaned forward again, edging closer towards his new companion.

"Wow," Captain Shuggazoom muttered. "He's the only one that's actually interested!"

The Alchemist smiled a little and looked down at Sparx who was now on his lap and sniffing at Nova who made scared little squeaks, clinging onto the Alchemist's ropes with her tiny little paws while staring up at him with big pleading eyes as of she were begging him to protect her.

"It's alright, Nova." He turned to face Sparx and stroked his head. "You wouldn't hurt her, would you?"

The red monkey's eyes were still fixed on the yellow one's body as she stared at him, shaking like a leaf. He drew back for a second before reaching out with his red paw and taking hold of hers, and gently pulling it away from the Alchemist's cloak. She responded immediately, her shaking coming to a halt as she glanced at his paw in confusion. He let go of her paw and sniffed at her again and once again she responded, sniffing at him too, reaching out to feel his red fur.

"Now Sparx." The Alchemist seemed to have turned a little bit more serious. "You have to take care of dear Nova here. You've seen that the others haven't taken as kindly to her presence. She will grow stronger but you need to look out for her during the weaker times . . . Can you do that?"

He glanced up at him in response, his black beady eyes shimmering a little. He may not have been able to express emotion with his face but the Alchemist could sense a look of determination within him.

"Very good."

In his arm, the yellow monkey had finally sat up properly and had climbed onto all fours, pawing at her new friend. Once again this day, the Alchemist smiled, and stroked her back and she glanced up at him, chittering happily. Sparx seemed to respond, letting out a happy little monkey screech before leaping off the chair. Nova immediately responded, pouncing off after him and began to chase him playfully.

As the red and yellow monkeys raced past Captain Shuggazoom, he glanced at the Alchemist who stood to his feet, watching the two of them as they played.

This was only the beginning of their bonding together.

 **Aaaaaand it's done.**

 **Yeah I know, it's pretty quick but it's just a little theory to all that.**

 **And before you go all "Ohhh, it's OOC, Nova's not like that"- THIS IS A THEORY AND MY OPINION!** **Also, she's a baby monkey here so it would make sense that she would be afraid of her new surroundings.**

 **Hope you liked it!**

 **Please Read and Review and check out my other stories and until next time- *prays for Sparx's sake that no one makes a "Riding on a Pig" joke.***


End file.
